Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Significance of Rule Changes in Editions
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Hereticus" data-source="post: 4808364" data-attributes="member: 83093"><p>I could be wrong, and I often am. I believe that the change from 3.5E to 4.0E was the biggest change, and others say the change from 2.0E to 3.0 (or 3.5E) were bigger. I would like to use this thread as a civil, fact based discussion of rule changes from any edition to the next edition, and how significant they were. And if I am shown to be wrong, I will admit it.</p><p></p><p>Forked from this discussion:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Attribute Stats</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">The core stats had stayed the same through the editions. There have been some improvements in 3.0E like keeping all the bonus numbers the same. But that is an insignificant change as I see it, because all it took to modify a character or monster was to change a number. 2.0E had <u>Optional Rules and Powers</u>, which split each stat in two. I liked that, but I am in the minority. 4.0E gives you the best of two stats to use for defenses, and that helps hide weaknesses. I prefer the one stat approach, because I do not like hiding character weaknesses.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Skills</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">They grew from nothing to incoherence in 2.0E to a an abominable list of 40 in 3.xE, to something much more usable in 4.0E. But I see skills as a sidebar to a base character, for the most part you can detach one skill system and add another without really affecting the base character design.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Feats</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">Pretty much the same as skills, they have improved with each edition. But again, a sidebar to base character design.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Combat</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">This may be blasphemy, but my group had house ruled out THAC0 long before 3.xE. I really do not see much difference in combat throughout the editions, just some number and source changes. Again, nothing that effected the character at the core of its design.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Classes</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">At its core, D&D has always had Fighters, Thieves, Clerics, Wizards, and variations on them. Character class is at the core of character design, and each edition has made changes to them. But in my opinion I could take a character from AD&D to 3.5E and still recognize that character as the same one by adjusting the mechanics around its core. However I believe that in going from any previous edition to 4.0E that the core is altered to not make it recognizable from what it once was.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><u>Races</u>:</strong> <span style="color: Silver">Like classes, at its core D&D is about Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, Orcs and many other unique and offshoot races introduced to add color. They fought Dragons and other monsters, often in Dungeons. This concept has not changed from edition to edition. 3.xE added the hated LA to exotic races, along with the equally foul monstrous HD. I love that 4.0E dumped them. But this was never a big change in the core character, it was a bookkeeping number change.</span></p><p></p><p>Here is my list of comments of likes and dislikes of 4.0E, from a different thread:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>What other categories am I missing?</p><p></p><p>Please comment on what I wrote, and why you agree or disagree with me.</p><p></p><p>Thank you.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hereticus, post: 4808364, member: 83093"] I could be wrong, and I often am. I believe that the change from 3.5E to 4.0E was the biggest change, and others say the change from 2.0E to 3.0 (or 3.5E) were bigger. I would like to use this thread as a civil, fact based discussion of rule changes from any edition to the next edition, and how significant they were. And if I am shown to be wrong, I will admit it. Forked from this discussion: [B][U]Attribute Stats[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]The core stats had stayed the same through the editions. There have been some improvements in 3.0E like keeping all the bonus numbers the same. But that is an insignificant change as I see it, because all it took to modify a character or monster was to change a number. 2.0E had [U]Optional Rules and Powers[/U], which split each stat in two. I liked that, but I am in the minority. 4.0E gives you the best of two stats to use for defenses, and that helps hide weaknesses. I prefer the one stat approach, because I do not like hiding character weaknesses.[/COLOR] [B][U]Skills[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]They grew from nothing to incoherence in 2.0E to a an abominable list of 40 in 3.xE, to something much more usable in 4.0E. But I see skills as a sidebar to a base character, for the most part you can detach one skill system and add another without really affecting the base character design.[/COLOR] [B][U]Feats[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]Pretty much the same as skills, they have improved with each edition. But again, a sidebar to base character design.[/COLOR] [B][U]Combat[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]This may be blasphemy, but my group had house ruled out THAC0 long before 3.xE. I really do not see much difference in combat throughout the editions, just some number and source changes. Again, nothing that effected the character at the core of its design.[/COLOR] [B][U]Classes[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]At its core, D&D has always had Fighters, Thieves, Clerics, Wizards, and variations on them. Character class is at the core of character design, and each edition has made changes to them. But in my opinion I could take a character from AD&D to 3.5E and still recognize that character as the same one by adjusting the mechanics around its core. However I believe that in going from any previous edition to 4.0E that the core is altered to not make it recognizable from what it once was.[/COLOR] [B][U]Races[/U]:[/B] [COLOR="Silver"]Like classes, at its core D&D is about Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, Orcs and many other unique and offshoot races introduced to add color. They fought Dragons and other monsters, often in Dungeons. This concept has not changed from edition to edition. 3.xE added the hated LA to exotic races, along with the equally foul monstrous HD. I love that 4.0E dumped them. But this was never a big change in the core character, it was a bookkeeping number change.[/COLOR] Here is my list of comments of likes and dislikes of 4.0E, from a different thread: What other categories am I missing? Please comment on what I wrote, and why you agree or disagree with me. Thank you. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Significance of Rule Changes in Editions
Top